Bringing play into your day

Playing with your baby is the best way to help them learn about the world around them. It’s also a fun way for you to bond with each other.  

Playing can also help your baby to build muscle strength, and build on their gross motor, fine motor and communication and social skills which will help them later in life. 

As a parent you might think “I don’t know how to play with my baby” especially when they’re so small and can’t respond much to you themselves. That’s perfectly normal. But the most important thing to realise is playing with your newborn can be as simple as just smiling at them! It's about providing interaction and stimulation.  

There are lots of simple ways you can play with your baby without even using any toys! 

Babies learn through their five  senses: hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell. Here are some ideas for simple games across the senses you can play with your newborn. 

• Your baby will love listening to your voice. It’s familiar to them from hearing it in the womb which is comforting. Read to your baby daily - it will help their communication skills. Talk about your day with your baby, and tell them what you’re doing, such as “I’m putting some clean clothes on you before bed…” It’s a really simple way to communicate and play with your baby, and you can do it throughout the day.  
• Sing to your baby as they will love the gentle melodic sounds. Try simple nursery rhymes or songs from your own culture in your language.  
• Include gentle actions when singing rhymes/songs such as “round and round the garden” as this can feel soothing for your baby. 
• Count your babies toes and fingers, tickle or blow raspberries with them, they will enjoy the feel of your touch.  
• Your newborn’s eyesight is still developing and they can’t see very far so they’ll love looking at your face up close. They’ll love you smiling, laughing or making silly faces like poking out your tongue or rolling your eyes. A great time for this game is during nappy change! 
• Tummy time is a good opportunity for your newborn to practice holding their head up and gives them a different view to look at. Don’t worry, most babies fuss with tummy time so build it up over time in short amounts. Always watch your baby during tummy time – and never put your baby to sleep on their front. 
• Skin to skin contact doesn’t have to stop after the birth and it can continue into their first year. It helps babies feel calm and safe. Even gently touching or talking to your baby during skin to skin counts as play! 
• Placing a colorful mobile above your baby’s play mat can help build their eyesight and gives you something to talk about: “Look at it spinning, round and around it goes”. 
• Don’t forget the simple classic games like peek-a-boo as they are always a win. If you wanted to mix it up you could use a mirror so your baby can see their own face when you’re playing.   

 
Remember: Playing should be fun for you as well as your baby so enjoy yourself and get silly!  

Have a look on the NHS website for some more ideas on how to play. And have a look at our Support and Advice pages for more information on caring for your baby.